


How to babysit a dragon

by BlackRoseMii



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Dragon Dads, but not enough to be considered shippy, there is some fluff between the boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 14:17:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20341507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackRoseMii/pseuds/BlackRoseMii
Summary: One day, Kirito found a suspicious egg. He didn't know what to do with, but he decided to hatch it.





	How to babysit a dragon

**Author's Note:**

> It's a weird fic, really. It's basically just a collection of individual scenes that have nothing to connect them. Like a montage. But I started to write it and I wanted to finish it, so here it is.

The two boys stared intendly at the egg on their desk.

„So, what do we do with it?“ 

„What do you mean 'what do we do'? You were the one who found it.“

„And you were the one who said we should take it with us.“

„Yeah, but you would have said that if I hadn't.“

They looked back at it, thinking.   
Just this morning, on their way back from the bakery, Kirito had found something quite strange on the forest path they used to get back to their dorm faster. It was next to a tree, right under a birds nest. It was a giant egg. Big enough that they needed two hands to carry it.  
It could never have been a birds egg, that was obvious. However, neither of them could tell where it came from. It might have been in the nest, but the already hatched birds pushed it out to have more space. So how did it get there in the first place?

„What do you think would hatch from this?“ the black haired boy asked. 

„Are there any really large birds? Or lizards?“

Eugeo thought for a moment before answering.

„I don't know of any birds that big and I doubt it's a lizards egg...“

„Well, only one way to find out.“ 

With a confident smile on his face, Kirito took the egg, walked to the fire place and crouched down, holding the egg dangerously close to the fire. The blonde gasped in shock.

„What are you doing? Do you want to cook it?!“

„Of course not. If we want to see what's inside, we'll need to hatch it. And for that, it needs warmth.“

„But not with a fire! It's an unborn animal, we'll have to be careful with it.“

Seeing his friend worried, he pulled his hands back a little, while still holding the egg close enough for it to be warmed by the fire. Eugeo just shook his head, took a pillow from the couch and put it on the floor near the fire. Carefully Kirito placed the egg on the pillow and sat down to get in a more comfortable position.

„And now, we wait.“

„Are you really going to wait here until it hatches? It could take days, you know?“

„If it takes too long, I'll just get up and do something else. And we could take turns watching it.“ 

Kirito was right. They would need to keep watch over it if they really wanted to hatch it. Besides knowing that it could take longer than they hoped, Eugeo couldn't help but be curious. So he sat down next to his partner and waited.  
It wasn't even long until Kirito got impatient and moved the egg a little closer to the fire, but Eugeo quickly swatted his hand away.   
They waited until the clock's bell resounded three times, telling them it was afternoon. Luckily it was their day of rest, so they had all day to spend on their own. As expected, Kirito had already dozen off a while ago and his head was leaning on his friends shoulder. And had it not been for the uncomfortable heat coming from the fire, Eugeo might have taken a little nap, too. But someone had to watch over the egg.   
Soon after the clock became silent, it seemed like something was moving inside the egg. The blonde got a little closer, put his ear to the shell and listened. Yes, there was definitely the sound of something scrapping. His eyes became wide and he quickly woke up Kirito, who was almost falling of his friends shoulder. 

„Kirito! It just moved!“

With a long groan, the boy slowly woke up.

„Wha...? What just moved?“ he slurred while rubbing his half-lidded eyes.

„The egg. I think it might be hatching.“

It took Kirito a while to remember what happend before he fell asleep.

„Oh, yeah. Egg. But didn't you say it could take days?“

He didn't get an answer. Instead, Eugeo pointed out another movement. And another. Soon, the scrapping became louder and it looked like something was trying to break the shell. Both were now waiting with held breath.  
Finally, a crack and a glimpse of a snout. A scaled snout.   
Slowly, piece by piece, the creature got rid of the shell. And what hatched from it wasn't anything like what the two boys imagined.

„I-is that a dragon?!“ the blonde yelled a little too loudly. Kirito could only sit there, mouth open in surprise.

With a long yawn, the little reptile was finally free and looked around curiously.

„It's so cute,“ Kirito whispered before turning to his friend with a determined look on his face.

„Let's keep it.“

„Wha-? Keep. A dragon? Are you out of your mind?“

„Why not? It just hatched, so it needs someone to take care of it. And we're the first ones it saw, so we're its parents.“

„We can't just keep a dragon. Only Integrity Knights and above are allowed to keep dragons. We'll have to bring it to-.“

Before Eugeo could continue, the little dragon clumsily stumbled off the pillow towards his hand and licked it. Seeing this, the blonde hesitated a bit before making a decision.

„Yeah, let's keep it.“

\------------------------------------------------------------------

No matter how much motivation, the two had absolutely no idea about dragons. Let alone how to care for a newly hatched one. What did they eat? How much would they need? How often would they have to feed it? Neither of them were dragons, obviously, so they would surely be unable to provide whatever it would get from its mother in nature.   
There were more questions than answers.

„It needs a name. Any ideas?“

„Red.“ 

„You can't just name something after its color, Kirito.“

„Then...Scaly.“ 

The blonde gave his friend a suspicious side glance and shook his head.

„You have the naming sense of a toddler.“

Eugeo earned a pout from his friend for that comment.

„Okay then, do you have a better idea?“

The blonde thought about it for a while. It should be a name that would suit it. A name you could say easily without sounding weird. A name with meaning...

„How about Ryu?“

„Ryu?“

„Yeah. It's the ancient work for dragon.“

Kirito knew very well what 'Ryu' meant. But he couldn't possibly tell him or he'd risk telling him that he wasn't from this world. 

„Sounds like a guys name. Do you know if its a boy?“

„Do I look like I can tell the gender of dragons?“

Kirito raised his eyebrows in response. They didn't know a single thing about dragons, so how would they be able to determine its gender? So he left it at that and turned back towards the dragon that was now sitting on the table, wrapped in a towel they used to dry it. It was playing with it while the boys were coming up with a name.

„Ryu it is then.“ The black haired boy turned his attention towards the little dragon.

„Do you like your name?“ 

The dragon looked at Kirito, cocking its head slightly. As if it was seriously thinking about it. But it soon turned its attention towards Kiritos hand which he had extended to pet it. Ryu sniffed at it for a moment before biting into one of his fingers. With a muffled swear he jerked his hand away, inspecting it. The teeth were small, yet sharp enough to leave little marks.

„I think he hates it!“ the black haired boy squeaked with tears forming in the corner of his eyes. Eugeo on the other hand couldn't help but laugh.

„And I think he's just hungry.“

„Do I look like a snack to you?“

Eugeo ignored his question and went back to Ryu, who was playfully biting the towel.

„I guessed we'll need to find you some food now.“ 

As if he understood, the little dragon chirped happily.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

With a loud thud, the black haired boy put the bag on the table in front of them. It was quite large and packed to the brim with all kinds of food. Even without looking at it, Eugeo could tell how fresh everything must have been. It looked like Kirito really went everywhere and bought one of everything he could buy. Even with the three of them, finishing everything before it went to waste would be quite the accomplishment.

„Okay, I got some stuff.“

„Some? It looks like you went shopping for a whole family!“

Kirito gave his friend a cheeky grin.

„Well, we are, right? Little Ryu and his two dads.“ 

Eugeo sighed with a smile. He knew he couldn't win against Kirito like that. Not that he could change his mind anymore, their month worth of money was spend on that one giant package of food already.

One by one, Kirito took out what he bought. Pastries, jerky, fruits. Just seeing all of this made Eugeos mouth water and he had to swallow. And so did Ryu who had been on Eugeos lap, playing with his hands. But once everything was spread out on the table, the little dragon took a little jump off his lap onto the table and sniffed at everything.

„So, what does our little baby fancy today?“

„Kirito, you can't just let a baby decide what to eat. He still has to learn what's edible and what isn't. What if he decides to eat the bag?“

And in that very moment, the dragon decided to do exactly that.   
Quickly, Kirito took the bag away while Eugeo reached out to Ryu and removed the little piece of paper in his mouth. He didn't fight back, but looked at him with big eyes and open mouth. 

„Sorry Ryu, but that is definitely not for dragons.“

„He wanted to eat my finger earlier, so maybe he wants meat?“ 

That said, the black haired boy reached for a piece of beef jerky and held it out in front of the little dragon. He sniffed at it curiously, licked it and hesitated for a moment, looking back at Kirito.

„It's okay, you can eat it.“

As if he understood, Ryu took a bite and nibbled at the meat. It seemed a little too hard for him to bite off though, so after a little struggle he managed to rip out a chunk of it. However, it was still too big for him to chew, so Kirito helped him by tearing off a piece small enough for the dragon to eat.   
Piece by piece, the dragon devoured the dry meat happily until nothing was left and he could move on to a different piece of jerky.

Eugeo watched the two of them silently. There was something peaceful about Kirito helping a little baby dragon eat for the first time. He could see how much the boy enjoyed it by the glimmer in his eyes. It wasn't the kind of glimmer he had when he was about to do something stupid or the fire in his eyes when he was fighting with his sword. It was softer, purer and overall...lovingly. Eugeo couldn't help but smile, hoping a moment like this would never fade away.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

With the little dragon now fed, they were finally able to do some actual research.   
None of the books in their dorm had anything about dragons, so would need to make a trip to the library. However, the sun was already setting, so they would have to be quick about it. And two pairs of eyes would see more than just one.

„But are we doing with Ryu? We can't take him with us or people will find out. And if we don't hurry we won't be getting another chance until tomorrow after classes.“

The black haired boy hummed in response, watching the dragon play with a couple of grapes. He didn't really want to eat them, but it seemed to be fun rolling them around and having Kirito catch them before they fell on the floor. 

„I don't know. We could hide him in a bag or something.“

„I'm not sure if he'll stay calm, but it's worth a try.“ 

That said, Eugeo wasn't even sure they had a bag big enough for Ryu to fit in. He might have been only the size of a cat, but it looked like his wing span was about double his own size. He hadn't really spread them yet, but he moved them quite a lot. So even if he managed to stay calmly in the bag, some part of him would peek out.  
Still, he stood up and walked to his room, seeing if he could find something. It took him a while, so Kirito was about to head to his own room and search. However, as soon as he stood straight, he felt something pull at the hem of his jacket. He turned around and saw Ryu looking at him with pleading eyes, not wanting his human dad to leave. 

„Come here,“ he smiled at him and spread his arms so that the little dragon could jump into them. 

He licked his cheek happily, making Kirito giggle. In that moment, Eugeo came back with a defeated look on his face, shaking his head.

„Sorry, but I don't have anything big enough.“

Just as Kirito wanted to say something, Ryu shifted in his arms, climbed onto his shoulders and into his jacket. He was surprised at first, but then he felt sharp claws scrapping over his back. He inhaled sharply at the pain and tried to catch the dragon, but he was already gone completely, still trying to find a comfortable position. For himself, not for Kirito. After a few seconds, the little dragon calmed down and bore his claws a little deeper into the boys skin.   
Eugeo watched with a curious expression. 

„Huh. I guess this takes care that.“

„How can you be so calm? I'm the one almost being sliced open! Do you even know how sharp his claws are?“ 

The blonde shrugged.

„But Ryu is hidden now. And he seems comfortable, so I don't think he'll move that much.“

\------------------------------------------------------------------

The trip to the library was shorter than they expected. Luckily, the books were well sorted and there weren't many people there. So they were able to search for a suitable book on dragons without much trouble.  
But for Kirito, it could have been a little faster. Ryu was calm most of the time, but once in a while, when the boy moved too much, the dragon had to reposition himself. It wasn't easily on him, trying to keep a straight face while a winged reptile baby was happily scratching his back. He had to keep his voice down and his twitches to a minimum. Eugeo could only watch him with pity.  
But at some point, the blonde had finally found what they were looking for. A book on different types of dragons from the biology section. After checking with the librarian, they quickly returned to their dormroom.

Once the door was shut, Kirito let out a sigh and loosened his muscles. 

„Okay, time to get out,“ he said to the dragon, shaking his shoulders a bit to make him move. Ryu slid down a little, before hesitantly climbing out of his little hiding spot. He let out a long yawn and hung around Kirito shoulders.

„Looks like he took a nap,“ the blonde noted as he sat down together with his partner.

When both were seated, the little dragon climbed down Kirito shoulders and curled up in his lap, falling asleep again.

„It was a long day for him, right?“

Both boys watched Ryus steady breathing for a little while until Kirito yawned as well and slumped down the couch. Eugeo patted his head.

„You did well today daddy. You deserve some rest.“

„I don't want to see the wounds I got from Ryu today,“ the black haired boy said, eyes half closed.

„But I guess that's what it's like to care for a baby dragon.“ 

Eugeo gave Kirito a sympathetic look and turned his attention to the book in his hand.   
It took him a while to skim through the pages. After all, he only had Ryus appearance as a reference. When he finally found something, he tapped his friends arm to wake him up. The boy made no effort to sit properly again. Not just because he was tired himself, but also so he wouldn't wake up the dragon.

„You found something?“ he said groggily.

„Yeah. It says that he's a royal red dragon. They live in volcanic areas and very heat-resistant.“

„Uh-huh.“

„Their main diet is meat, but can also digest fruits and most plants. No fish though.“

„Okay, got it. No fish. What else?“

„They live alone and are territorial. But the babies stay with one parent for several years.“

„Years?!“ 

Kirito jumped a little, which made Ryu shift. Luckily, the dragon was still asleep. After a few moments, Eugeo continued with a smile.

„And it says that they hold on to their mothers back when sleeping.“

„Oh, so I'm the mother now?“ 

The blonde chuckled and put down the book, leaning backwards similar to Kirito. 

„We'll have a lot of work ahead of us.“

„Let's just hope dragons aren't nocturnal.“

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Luckily not, but Ryu was still a baby. And like any other baby, he had to be fed every few hours. So their night was cut short everytime he decided to jump on Kiritos chest to wake him. The first times, he thought he was still dreaming, so he just turned around. But the little dragon was stubborn. He kept jumping and nibbling at him until he took a bite at his ear, which made the boy jump up and be wide awake. In his sleepy mind, he had forgotten they just adopted a baby dragon.

So when morning came and they had class to attend to, Kirito was even less motivated to get up. 

„Everything okay?“ the blonde asked while watching his friend groaning and loosing up his shoulders. 

They had just finished a long day of training and were finally back in their dorm. Ryu slowly crawled out of Kiritos shirt, hopping into Eugeos arms and licking his face as a greeting.

„You know you should be more careful with your mommy. He doesn't have scales.“

The dragon tilted his head, looking like he didn't understand what the blonde was scolding him about.   
The boy looked up when he heard a sharp breath. 

„If it hurts, maybe you shouldn't lean back?“ 

„How about you try to carry a 5 kilogram reptile on your back for an entire day. While it feels like he's trying to slice you open.“

Eugeo gave him a sympathetic look and joined his friend on the couch. Ryu hopped unto the table and snatched one of the grapes they had taken out for the little dragon to eat.

„Tomorrow we'll switch, okay? Now turn around, I'll heal your wounds.“

Without any hesitation, Kirito did as he was told and quickly removed his jacket and shirt. At least as quickly as he could while dealing with the sharp pain.

His back was a mess. The scratches were everywhere and some of them were still bleeding a little. Eugeo gained new respect for his friends tenacity and was already regretting his offer from before. But he also didn't want him to be in more pain, so he'd have to endure it. If Kirito could, then so could he. And they decided to take care of the dragon together. 

„System call, generate luminous element.“

Soft light was emitting from the blondes fingertips as he slowly traced the scretches, healing them one by one.   
It had something weirdly intimate, Eugeo thought. Being able to touch his friend so gently. Even after Kirito was healed completely, his hand lingered a little on a spot of his partners lower back.   
The blonde had seen him shirtless before. There was nothing weird or even physically intimate about it. Nothing special. Yet looking at his back felt different. Was it the fact that he had put on some more muscle recently? Was it because he was able to touch it so casually? Or maybe it was Ryu who made the two of them act like parents that he imagined them taking care of a real baby. A concept usually seen with married people.

Whatever it was, Eugeo was quickly pulled out of his thoughts when Kirito jumped up screaming out and making his way to the fireplace. Neither of them had noticed what the little dragon had been up to. Only now did they see that he made himself comfortable inside of the fire. 

Without regarding his own health Kirito reached out to him, quickly retracting his hands when the flames touched his fingertips. Eugeo followed him just a second later and did the same, but kept his hands farther so he wouldn't get burned. Calmly, he lured Ryu into leaving the fireplace. Before the dragon leapt into the blondes arms, he shook himself to get rid of the embers. There wasn't a trace of burns of the dragons body.   
Kirito on the other hand was still shaking his hand as if he could shake off the pain. When that didn't help, he blew on it several times.

„Let me see,“ the blonde said while taking his wounded hand.

„It's not bad. Though if we don't treat it, it will blister.“ 

He held out his other hand when chanting the sacred art. It didn't take long until it was free of the burn. The black haired boy thanked him.  
Ryu had watched the two closely. But now that their exchange had ended, the little dragon reached for Kiritos hand and licked it carefully. It earned him a little chuckle from the two.

„I guess he wants to apologize.“

„No need to little guy. It was my fault for forgetting you were heat resistant.“

The little dragon squeaked in response.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

The dragon jumped up to reach the grape Eugeo held out for him.They were able to keep Ryu calm for several weeks now and were somehow able to avoid him being found. In that time - while the little dragon hadn't grown much – he had started to learn how to use his wings. He was still a little clumsy and wasn't sure how they were working, but he was learning quite fast. Pushing himself up into the air was nothing for the little dragon. That's why Eugeo had to hold the treat above his own head to make it more difficult for him.

His friend munched on his own lunch as he watched the two play around. Luckily they found a good spot for a picnic outside, secluded from prying eyes.

„He's gonna jump over your head at this rate.“

„That's the point. He has to start using his wings properly. You don't want to be hit by them all the time, right?“

Kirito thought about the nights ever since they adopted the dragon. Ryu always made himself comfortable on the boys chest, probably because that was the best place to feel the steady breathing of his human parent. However, that also meant whenever he was dreaming, his wings twitched uncontrollably, hitting him in the face most of the time.   
Kirito wasn't sure if this would change anything, but he figured Ryu was strong enough to start his flying lessons. Besides that, once he could fly, there were so many things the black haired boy wanted to teach him, he couldn't wait for it.   
He grinned at the thought of all the mischief the two of them could do.

„What are you smiling about?“ the blonde asked after giving Ryu the last grape he had.

„Oh nothing. Just thinking about how cute you two looked.

„C-cute?!“ 

Heat rushed into Eugeos cheeks. He never imagined to hear his friend call him that. Sure, he did include Ryu as well, but it didn't change the fact that he called him cute. Kirito laughed when he saw his flushed face.

„Yeah, like a kid playing with his pet.“

Eugeos heart dropped, but he tried not to show his dissappointment.

With a small groan, the black haired boy got up, brushed bread crumbs from his lunch off his clothes and went backwards a few steps, still facing his friend. At first the blonde didn't understand what he was planning, but as soon as he saw him holding up a grape, he got it and took his position parallel to his friend. He shook his shoulder a little to get the dragons attention and then directed it towards Kirito.  
When the little dragon spotted his treat, he raised his head and assumed a straighter position on Eugeos shoulders and put his front legs on his head. Wiggling a little like a cat watching its prey, Ryu slowly spread his wings. They were already twice his own size and quite strong, despite how fragile they looked. The blonde had to duck his head when the dragon started to move them up and down. Slow at first, then stronger and with one determined jump forward, he was already in the air.   
He was able to fly the few meters into Kiritos arms with ease and gulped down his treat happily.

Ronie and Tiese clapped in awe of the dragons skills. They only recently found out about their upperclassmen's little secret, but were more than willing to keep it that way if it meant being able to play with a baby dragon.   
Ryu had also taken a liking to the girls. Mainly because they spoiled him with all kinds of sweets and cuddles.   
The dragon took a leap towards them, much to their surprise, and ended up knocking down Tiese. 

„He still needs to work on his landing though,“ Kirito noted. 

They all laughed in response while the little dragon took a bite of the cookie in Ronies hand.

It would still take a while until he was able to fly freely, but for now he was happy enough just jumping from one dad to another.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

The blonde watched the two snoring away in Kiritos bed. Ryu still had the bad habit of twitching his wings and chewing in his dreams, but the boy had gotten used to it and didn't have more of a reaction besides groaning and turning his head away.   
Seeing them this peaceful, Eugeo almost forgot that what they were doing could get them into a lot of trouble. They were able to keep it from the teachers and other students, but for how long?  
Ryu would soon grow too big to hide him in Kiritos clothes. And he was too energetic to be left alone several hours.   
He knew the day would come when the boys had to say goodbye to their adopted child. And he didn't want to imagine how it would feel. Eugeo might be able not to let it show. It wouldn't have been the first time he saw someone close to him being taken away. But Kirito might be different. He was more upfront with his emotions. 

The day would come, he knew it. But for now, Eugeo wanted to enjoy the time they had together. 

Watching the two, the blondes eyes were slowly getting heavier and soon he was barely able to stay awake. He thought about how he should get to his own room, taking off his uniform and getting into his night clothes. But his body felt heavy from exhaustion and as if driven by instinct, he crawled under the blanket. His hand was resting next to the dragons head while his other found its way into the dark hair of his partner. He shuffled closer to him and his head rested in the crook of Kiritos neck. It was comfortable, lying this close to his friend, in a position that was meant to be for them. And together with the little dragon sleeping above them, he felt like a real family.   
With a smile, Eugeo drifted off into sleep. Clinging to this memory for a time they would be seperated.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

They watched the dragons lift off into the sky, heading for places the boys only dreamt of. The little windows of the tower were barely big enough to see them dissappear in the distance. They stood like this for while, remembering days from a year ago. Days when the two had adopted the same kind of creature that they were watching now. 

Ryu was with them for only 3 month, yet he had taken their hearts by storm. He wasn't a mere pet to them. Not a exciting little secret they had to keep. They were there when he was born. When he ate his first meal, when he first took flight.   
But one day, they were found out. It must have been one of the other students who snitched them. They knew from a certain pair of eyes and arrogant snickering. Kirito would have loved to jump at them that very moment, but his friend kept him from doing that. They were in more than enough trouble already. Even though the blonde would have done the same thing if he could.   
In the end, Ryu got taken away and send to the central cathedral, where he would be cared for and where he could live among his kind.  
It might have been better that way. A dragon couldn't possibly learn from humans. They were completely different species with completely different skills and needs. Not to mention Ryu would have grown up alone, without other dragons. So as much as it had hurt to part with him, he was in a better place. 

They stood there a little longer after all the dragons were out of sight and then proceeded to walk down the hall. It hadn't been long since the two were able to become integrity knights. Even now they were still just apprentices and had a long path before them before they could call themselves knights. But they were a huge step closer to their goal. 

As the two boys passed the stairs, they heard a commotion coming from further above. Several people were shouting and running around. They hesitated a little to try to make out what they were saying.

„It went this way!“ the first man said.

„How can it be so fast? It's just a baby!“ another one added. 

Kirito was about to go up to see what was happening, but before he could even set foot on the first step, a large red shadow stormed down the stairs and flew right past him, landing on the marble floor and sliding until the wall stopped it's movement.   
The boys couldn't believe what they just saw.   
It was a red dragon – not the typical color for a dragon used by the knights – and it had the size of a grown dog. Despite the growth, it was clear to them what dragon they just found. Or rather, what dragon found them. 

„Ryu?!“ they screamed in unison.

The dragons head shot up at the name. He looked at them for a while as if he was thinking, but soon the dragon remembered their faces and his entire body wiggled from happiness. With a determined jump he knocked them both off their feet, licking their faces. 

They never thought they'd get to see their baby dragon again, but as it turned out, there was no need to worry.


End file.
